After the End (Narnia)

Chapter XXV - Victory!

An impromptu party was quickly pieced together by the exhausted but exhilarated Narnians as the sun sunk behind the mountains. A large pile of weapons and armour had been left in the entrance hall, helmets and chain-mail mixing with bloodstained swords and axes in a strangely peaceful gesture. The war was over, once and for all.

The kitchen was full of Narnians, practically sweating adrenaline and joy. The food would be far from fancy, but it was who they ate it with that counted. Besides, it was common knowledge that anything tasted heavenly after a battle. Peter caught Caspian as he left the kitchen, delivering a wicked smirk. "I was wondering if you wanted to make the bread," Peter laughed.

"It would be an honour," Caspian replied. "I promise I won't coat you in flour this time." Peter followed him back into the kitchen with a grin as wide as a Narnian shield gracing his face.

"I really do love these lights," Lucy admitted to the faun beside her. "They remind me of Christmases when I was littler." The lights sparkled above her as she wound them over the rafters of the Great Hall. The victory seemed even sweeter when celebrated with things that were a direct juxtaposition to war, objects that demonstrated beauty, love, and life.

"I must admit I was a little sceptical of electricity when it first came to Narnia. The idea of fairy-lights, in particular, were an odd concept to me. But I must say they have become a favourite of mine for parties. They look like little stars brought down from the heavens," Tumnus reflected. Lucy smiled at the faun as he gazed up at the glimmering lights. I'm glad he sees the world the way I do, Lucy thought.

Edmund had volunteered himself to pack up the medical supplies with Harriet. He could have tried to help with the party preparations, but he had concluded he could not survive so many trips up and down stairs. Here was fine.

The area still smelt of blood, antiseptic and despair as unused bandages and dressings were rolled and stored away. The various wagons that had composed the first-aid procession were covered in dirt and various bodily fluids. The hygienic side of Edmund shuddered. Maybe I'm more like my cousin than I thought, he pondered. He quickly became absorbed in the repetitive tasks, cleaning each wagon methodically with soap, water, and finally, antiseptic.

Harriet was the shining angel who made even cleaning bloody carts fun. Ever since his accident, Edmund hadn't been able to stop thinking about her as an angel, and frankly he didn't mind the comparison. He was fully aware that she wasn't perfect, but she was his kind of perfect and that was enough.

"What are you dreaming about?" Harriet asked a distant Edmund. When left with no response, Harriet filled her bucket with water for the umpteenth time, making a pretence of washing out part of her wagon. A wicked grin lit up her face as she hurled the water at Edmund, laughing.

Edmund spluttered as he wiped the water out of his eyes. "Do you know how much blood probably came into contact with that water?" he guffawed. With a quick flick of his wrist, Edmund had emptied his own bucket over Harriet's head. "Now we're even!"

"Over my dead body," Harriet exclaimed, filling up another bucket and throwing a clean sponge for good measure. "I will win this thing, and you know it."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Edmund retaliated. Soon the two had forgotten entirely about cleaning, drenching each other to the bone as they chased each other around the lawn, screeching wildly. Multiple buckets of water were wasted as sponges were thrown and random objects were made into weapons.

Eustace and Jill watched from inside the castle with a type of amusement that only comes from exhaustion. "What on earth are they doing?" Eustace snickered. The water fight had morphed into something bigger, now taking up a massive portion of the lawn. Playful insults were shouted as the two laughed and ran around each other.

"They're having more fun than we are, that's what they're doing," Jill concluded. "C'mon, let's go!" Eustace and Jill ran outside to join Edmund and Harriet, wielding extra buckets and sponges. Edmund greeted his cousin with a sponge in the face. Their laughter could be heard from the other side of the castle.

Finally, the celebration was underway. The Great Hall was filled with tired yet joyful Narnians as they took in the feeling of victory. Music sounded from all around the room as various Narnians showcased their talents, accompanied by lively chatter and enthusiastic, if not skillful, dancing. The thrill that came from finally defeating their enemies and inner demons was just about the only thing keeping them awake. It had been a long day.

Peter discovered Lucy curled up asleep on Tumnus' shoulder about half an hour into the party. Sometimes he forgot how young Lucy still was. The faun looked at him apologetically. "I did not initiate this, believe me," he whispered. "It's like I'm her teddy bear these days."

Peter gave him a warm smile. "I know you'll look after her."

Eustace and Jill burst into the room with beaming grins that bordered on terrifying. "Where have you two been?" Peter asked. They both looked like they had swum in an ocean filled with some kind of happiness serum.

"Oh, in a water fight with Edmund and Harriet, but that's nothing important. I have other news," Jill started.

"Well, we have other news," Eustace grinned. "We're engaged."

The room filled with a massive cheer as the news was passed around. "A toast to the happy couple!" Susan suggested. The sound of echoing clinks and cheers dominated the Great Hall.

"Isn't this a little premature?" Peter asked Eustace in a low voice.

"Far from it!" Eustace replied. "Jill and I have had a pact to get married for years now. We've talked about the subject thoroughly, and we realised that this is what we want."

"I'm happy for you," Peter said softly. He shook his head. "I never thought little bug-collecting Eustace would get married before me!"

Eustace chuckled. "Well, I had to be better than you at something!"

[Author's Note]

Hiya Readers!

Yep, I forgot to upload again. I went to one of Australia's biggest national parks for the long weekend (and my Dad's birthday) and there was no reception. Then I got lazy during the week. Sorry. 

I did get to climb a gigantic mountain though! It was amazing!

In other news, this chapter is one of the last - the 25th out of 29 chapters, and I'm giving you a double upload this week to make up for the week I missed. 

I've been considering what I'll upload after this for a while now. I started writing another Narnia fanfic, but my passion for this fandom just isn't there anymore. I started writing the first draft of this book almost five years ago, and I've changed a lot. 

However, I am proud to announce that my next book will be a Harry Potter Fanfiction set after the crew's '8th year', starring Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger. It's a bit of a deep take on Draco's post-war journey, and it will be quite different to this fanfic stylistically, but it's a little deeper, and I hope you guys like it! It's called Open Road - keep your eyes peeled for it's release sometime in the next few months. 

Sincerely,

The Author